Central Idea

A recent collaborative effort of professional geneticists has resulted in a scientific confirmation of the Ajnala massacre – an event lost to history for 165 years.
This project, marked by emotional intensity and rigorous analysis, brought long-lost victims to light through molecular and isotope data.

Ajnala Massacre

Buried Tragedy: 282 soldiers of the 26th Native Bengal Infantry Regiment met a brutal fate during the 1857 uprising, drowned in a well by the British East India Company.
Discovery of Location: Cooper’s book provided clues that helped locate the 1857 Kallianwala Martyrs’ Well beneath the Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Ajnala.
Chance Encounter: In 2003, historian Surinder Kochhar found a reference to ‘Ajnala’ in a discarded book titled “Crisis in Punjab” by Frederick Henry Cooper.
Massacre Rediscovered: Kochhar’s research led to the revelation of the Ajnala Massacre, a grim incident hidden for over 157 years.

Unveiling the Remains: The well was excavated in 2014, exposing the skeletal remains of the soldiers.
Gruesome Discovery: During the 1857 Sepoy mutiny, many Indian soldiers revolted against the British. Around 500 revolted at Mian Mir Cantonment in Lahore.
Evading execution: They swam across the Ravi River to reach the town of Ajnala, now in Amritsar district. Of them, 218 were killed by British soldiers at Dadian Sofian village near Ajnala.
Dumped into a well: The remaining 282 were stuffed in a small room, where many died of asphyxiation. The rest were shot dead and their bodies were thrown into a well, which was later named “Kalianwala Khu” and “Shaheedan da Khu”.

Scientific Verification: DNA-based evidence confirmed that the remains belonged to soldiers of the 26th Native Bengal Infantry regiment.
Historical Importance: The Ajnala Massacre adds to the narrative of the 1857 Indian uprising against the British East India Company’s oppression.

The Ajnala Massacre underscores the often-overlooked brutalities of the 1857 Indian uprising.
The lack of acknowledgement and memorials can be attributed to the government’s hesitance to address uncomfortable aspects of history.